thebankman

Could I use a Trek 1000 for commuting in the city, with it's potholes and street gravel? I'm afraid I'd abuse it and start breaking parts especially the lil skinny tubes.

Does anyone have experience using a Trek 1000 or similar level bike for city commuting? How has it held up to abuse?

Thanks, Alan

Forgot to mention, I'm looking at the new trek 1000's with the carbon fiber forks.

jsigone

I have a Felt F90, simular price as the Trek 1000 with simular specs but more aggressive geometry. One of my friends have the trek 1000 and she loves it. Light and fast. My bike is a 58cm and weighs in at 22.5lbs. The bike will come with 700c X 23's, you might want to put some 25's on it. A lil fatter tire, more rolling resistance then the 23's but I've gotten less flats with the 25's on then the 23's. I've put close to 2000 miles on my F90 since I gotten it early this yr and only had to change tires and tubes and brake pads at the 1000 mile mark. I've used my bike to go to the store, commute to work (14 miles each way) or ride 50-100 mile weekend rides. Haven't taken it on gravel roads though. I tend to hammer on my bikes and I'm 190lbs and so far this bike is very realiable.

How many miles is your commute?

CBBaron

I'm 6'2" 220lb and ride a '83 Trek 400 as a commuter. This bike is similar to a new Trek 1000 in that it has pretty tight geometry and little clearance for tires. I run 23mm tires to have clearance for fenders. My commute is through Cleveland with lots of potholes and 3 rough RR crossings twice daily.
This combination works pretty well for my commute. The bike does ride fairly rough due to the narrow tires which I believe is a reason my lights don't last long. I also need to retrue the tires every few months to keep the spokes tensioned and prevent wheel problems. You need to run a tough tire like an Armadillo or Gatorskin to prevent punctures. I run a less expensive Sefars Kevlar belted tire that seems to hold up pretty well (Its what was available at the LBS).
If you already have the Trek 1000 and want to use it as a commuter it will work reasonably well, but if you are looking to purchase a new bike look for something with long reach or canti brakes. This will allow room for atleast 28mm tires with fenders which will make for a more comfortable and durable ride. Also avoid any bike that has wheels with less than 32 spokes.
Craig

Avatar

I have a Trek 1000.

If the gravel and potholes are unavoidable, I'd be challenged to bike commute at all. However I do my best to avoid those obstacles, out of fear of a puncture. And sooner or later the gravel will get you.

broomhandle

i have a 88' USA Trek 1000 and its great. i dont know anything about the newer treks...

Bikeguy1

It will do fine. I just got the new one with the carbon fork and seat post too. I am 234 lbs. and ride one with rack and paniers. Have not had any problems yet. Put on new tires though. Ones it comes with are pretty thin. I put on specialized all conditions 25c.

MichaelW

If its what you have, use it.
Any factory wheel could benefit from a tuneup (prestressing and tensioning the spokes) by an experienced wheelbuilder.

If you dont yet have the bike, think carefully about what CBBaron said about tyre clearance. I use an old road bike with the longer drop calipers (you need a frame dimensioned for these). I can fit 32mm tyres + fenders and can ride the roughest of trails. Ultra-puncture resistant tyres usually work better in larger sizes due to the stiffness of the sidewall.
I can also slip on some 25mm tyres for summer day rides. You always have the choice to go to narrower rubber but not visa versa.

thebankman

Thanks for all the first-hand advice, I wasn't expecting so many people to be doing the same thing I want to do! Well I didn't buy the bike yet, I'm continuing to ride a Specialized Crossroads until I've got the money saved up. That thing has 38c road/city tires which have worked amazingly well so far. I jump up and down curbs every day and have yet to have a problem. I'm guessing jumping curbs above half an inch is out of the question with a road-specific bike so I'll have to change my riding pattern when I'm on it.

Based on the advice y'all have given me, I'm going to keep saving and buy the Trek and ride that one for pleasure and keep the Crossroads for commuting. I was thinking of putting drop bars on the Crossroads and keeping it as my sole bike but this is probably a waste.

thebankman

Bikeguy, do you use the All Condition Sport or Armadillo tires?

My commute is very short, ~4 miles in San Francisco so one way is uphill. I'm 6'1", 215lb on last weighing. Good to see there are other "clydesdales" riding this bike, makes me feel better about jumping into it. This will be my first road bike coming from years of mountain bike riding on and offroad.

Any recommendations for a road bike newbie?

spinerguy

My nice weather commuter is a 05' 1000 SL Trek on fairly maintained roads. This past "nice season" I've put nearly 2,000 miles on it, all in all it's a solid bike that will take a little abuse & comes back begging for more.
The only complain that I have are the stock tires which are a bit on the softer side, grippier but more sensitive to cuts & slashes, oh and maybe you can benefit from a more resistant bar tape.

CBBaron

Consider something like a Specialized Sequoia, Jamis Aurora or Surly CrossCheck. These bikes are lighter than a hybrid like the Crossroads and have a drop bar for better aerodynamics but they also have clearance for 28mm+ tires with fenders to give you the durability and ride needed for a commuter. If price is a concern look for a used model. And if you comfortable working on bikes consider looking and older road bikes from the 70's and early 80's. Many of these bikes use the long reach brakes and therefore have plenty of room for the fatter tires. It is possible to find some very nice bikes from this era for well under $200.
Craig

Bikeguy1

I use the all condition sports on the trek 1000, I also have a trek 7000 that I started out on that has the real armadillo's. The real armadillos are a bear to get on, but the all conditions are real easy to mount. They are just about the same weight as the original tires too. So far no flats and there is a ton of glass and junk along our roads, also they seem to ride pretty well too.

I think the biggest recommendation is to get a rack that has open spaces where the panniers hook on to, so you can slide the pannier clear back to the end of the rack if need be for foot clearance room.

I got a trek rack for 30 bucks and the support bar is in the way (to far forward) and I could not move the pannier back far enough for foot clearance. I got a 15 dollar one from nashbar and it gave me plenty of space to move it back. Other than that enjoy your new ride. There is a big difference going from another kind of bike to a road bike.

thomj513

I ride a 2002 model. Although I don't commute with it (it's 42 miles one way to the office) I do ride it on the weekends and during the week after work to run errands. Mine does not have the carbon fork or seatpost; it's all aluminum. Rides great for an entry level road bike. I replaced the factory tires within 10 months with Continental Gatorskins and never had a flat. Put on some Rivendell "Roly-Poly" tires which are about 27mm last December and still haven't had a flat and they ride great on the road as well as doing well in light dirt (sandy patches on the road). Have over 4,000 miles as of 11/12/05 and the bike still rides solid.

MrCjolsen

I've got about 1500 miles of pretty mean roads and streets commuting on a '04 Trek 1000c. It has held up just fine. I would swap out the cheap Bontrager tires for some Conti Gatorskins.

The Trek 1000c is a very good bike for the price. And the Sora component group works great as long as you keep it tuned and adjusted.

thebankman

Wow good news aplenty! I'm hyped about this bike, the research is done and with the above information, I may just keep the Crossroads for commuting and save the good bike for my every day rides and workouts. I put in an hour and fifteen minutes on the Crossroads doing hill training today and can't imagine how much fun it'll be with the lighter trek. ok all I need now is the money...